RE: Good font combination story

["McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

 Ed sed:

> Since this has come up recently: 
> 
>  
> 
> Four techniques for combining fonts
> 
> http://www.typography.com/email/2010_03/index_tw.htm
> 


Hmm. Doesn't a "technique" presuppose the ability to 
actually discern one from another? 

I don't have it.

Reading the descriptions after each example, I was 
reminded of the pretentious claptrap (much parodied) 
that used to pass for wine reviews in many places.
"Insouciant at the start, with a droll finish..." 

I could sorta see "solid" as an attribute of a 
given font family. Perhaps "light"... perhaps even 
"crisp"... but .... "Lyrical" ... come ON!
"Debonair"?  Get real! A font?

Perhaps somebody who does nothing else all day for 
years must develop a sensitivity that allows them 
to pick out the attributes. Probably that person 
also needs the same in-built sensibility that makes 
for a good graphic designer. 

As not either one of those, I can't reliably tell 
Helvetica from Arial from Verdana... in bright light... 
with the wind at my back... down-hill... 

I'm curious, though, how many people actually 
can spot a given font in a crowd. Especially a 
crowd of what the unwashed would regard as similar 
faces.

Of course, in the spirit of "I might not know much 
about art, but I know what I like", good typography 
seems to just hang together in a pleasing way. It's 
the 'what' of that pleasingness that escapes me in 
individual situations.   Yes, of course you could 
point to an example and explain it to me... and 
there's a chance that you would not sound entirely 
like Charlie Brown's teacher while doing so.  :-) 

Am I alone?

 - K

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